Looking at Wealth in GURPS

 

Having more money is an advantage and less a disadvantage as it affects your starting capabilities. However, access to wealth is more complicated and will be very campaign specific. For instance, after the campaign begins how do you continue to get income? Jobs, passive income, or adventuring?

There are a number of options, but they have been expanded upon in supplements so here is an overall look.

Starting Wealth

see p. B25

You start off with a base amount of money and goods assigned by the GM, typically based on Tech Level (p. B27). Then pick your Wealth level which can be a disadvantage or advantage and modifies that base starting amount. Partial Multi-Millionaire (GURPS Spaceships 2: Traders, Liners, and Transports; p. 26) offers additional fine tuning.

This can get very expensive, but fair is fair, starting with a lot of money is a huge advantage.

Additional fine tuning can be done using one or more of the following.

Signature Gear (p. B85) gives 50% of the average (not your own) campaign starting wealth per point. There are a couple of caveats that come with this too.

Signature Assets (GURPS Spaceships 2, p. 27) I an enhancement to Wealth that multiplies starting wealth by 5% per +1% but only towards SM+2 assets, say a starship. It is capped at +20% for +100% of starting wealth (yours not the campaign average as it’s applied to the Wealth advantage).

You can also trade points for money (p. B26).

Finally, you could apply Potential Advantage (p. B33) Heir to Wealth, meaning you pay half cost but get half the starting wealth at the beginning. This one can be abusive though so GMs should be wary as Wealth increases multiplicativity you can get more than you paid for.

All of this affects how much you start the campaign with, not how much you earn on a regular basis. Though certain levels of Wealth may be a prerequisite for certain jobs.

Income During Play

Generally, you get money from working or adventuring. Independent Income and Debt (p. B26) can represent passive income or regular expenses. This is limited to 20% of your starting wealth. But unlike Trading Points for Money or Signature Gear this is affected by your Wealth level.

Ongoing Expenses

This includes Debt, Cost of Living (p. B265), and whatever comes up.

 

That it?

For most campaigns the above is probably just fine. You know how much you start with and have ways to get more money during the game, even a base line cost of living.

But there should be some other options, so here are some ideas.

Patrons and Benefactors

A Patron (p. B72) is a government, organization, or person who helps you out. Make the Appearance Roll and they offer some aid or advice. The Equipment modifier (+50% or +100%) means they will give you gear.

Hmm, asking for a loan you don’t have to pay back is rather like income, isn’t it?

So Patron (Sponsor, Fans, etc.) with Equipment, +50% can give you campaign average starting wealth. More for the +100% level! This could just as easily be a reliable supplier of goods for you to sell.

Not as dependable as Independent Income but it is another possible source of income or goods. Minimal Intervention is also an obvious limitation.

But what about say the scientist looking for help to cover inventing costs or a captain looking for a new ship?

Patron (Bank/Investor)

You have a good track record of borrowing money and paying it back. Banks or investors are willing to loan you money because they are confident, they will get it back with interest or another bonus. How much you can get is limited by the Patrons’ assets.

Equipment (+50%) gives you up to campaign starting wealth. Failing the Appearance roll means you couldn’t reach them, or they just did not want or could not offer you the money.

Minimal Intervention (-50%) You get what they think you need is a fair way to price the Patron choosing if the loan is appropriate or not.

Temporary Disadvantage (Duty or Debt) lasts until you pay them back. Debt is easy, just pay that amount each month. Duty might mean you get sent on jobs for them to pay them off, or perhaps just to cover the interest till you pay back what you borrowed.

Signature Assets (+1% and up) if it were allowed can give you +5% more money per +1%. +50% would be +250% of your Starting Wealth (up to the Patrons resource limit). Since Equipment (+100%) does not mention a limit this seems weaker or less valuable. However, I like the idea of it being tied to your Wealth advantage (normally minimally useful after the campaign start) and an actual cap the player and GM both already know rather than an arbitrary limit the GM applies if just using Equipment (+100%).

 

Lets wrap this all into a new modifier to keep things simple and avoid confusion with how the modifiers may normally work.

Enhanced Credit

This modifier to Patron (usually a bank but might be anyone willing to lend) represents your value to them as a reputable borrower. When you want to ask for equipment or money from a Patron make its Appearance roll and submit the request. Administration or other skills may help, and the Patron decides what is appropriate and reasonable as far as the loan is concerned. Success allows you to borrow up to 50% of your Starting Wealth (not the campaign average). The value of the loan should be limited to what can reasonably be expected to be paid back or written off. Resource Value (GURPS Boardroom and Curia, p. 10) is a good cap on what can be written off. Repayments should include interest or other benefits to the Patron. GURPS Spaceships 2: Traders, Liners, and Transports (p. 27) has suggestions for a space campaign, otherwise use what is appropriate for the setting.

Statistics: Enhanced Credit is a metatrait consisting of the following. Equipment, +50%; Minimal Intervention, -50%; Signature Assets, +10%; and Temporary Disadvantage, Duty, -10%. +0%.

Edited

While I like the Patron who can give equipment as an idea, the Enhanced Credit and Patron as lender just isn't good enough. I was thinking about how PCs could afford something unusually expensive but I don't see anyone wanting to pay points for this kind of thing. Not after a night sleep anyhow.

I'll leave it up for posterity and there is some decent stuff here, but this will need more pondering.